#276 Daniel Everett: The Evolution and Varieties of Language, and the Pirahã

Jan 2, 2020

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Dr. Daniel Everett is Trustee Professor of Cognitive Sciences at Bentley University. He holds a ScD and a Masters of Linguistics from the Universidade Estadual in Campinas (UNICAMP). He is well-known for his many years of field research among the Pirahã people of the Brazilian Amazon jungle. Dr. Everett's books include Dark Matter of the Mind: The Culturally Articulated Unconscious, and How Language Began: The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention.

In this episode, we talk about linguistics, and the Pirahã. First, Dr. Everett distinguishes between communication and language. He also refers to issues with Universal Grammar, and gives us his account of why H. erectus should have been the first hominin to have language. We talk about the biological tools needed for language, and the limitations in other primates’ use of sign language. We refer to three different types of language (G1, G2, and G3), cultural evolution, the universal traits of language, and difficulties in distinguishing between different languages. We discuss the Whorf-Sapir hypothesis, and if there is evidence that language influences thinking. Finally, in the last ten minutes, Dr. Everett talks about the Pirahã society, their culture and language.

Follow Dr. Everett’s work:

Faculty page: http://bit.ly/2k4ldgo

Personal website: http://bit.ly/2VYqKn4

ResearchGate profile: http://bit.ly/2lDCv4c

Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2lzXu8h

How Language Began: The Story of Humanity's Greatest Invention: https://amzn.to/2pCdfNS

Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle: https://amzn.to/2qsvRAg

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